PPA's Photographic Exhibition Committee is offering FREE, one-on-one image/print consultations and reviews with Affiliated PPA Jurors at Imaging USA, in Austin, Texas. Take this opportunity to get personal evaluations of your images, a one on one review of the 12 elements used to evaluate and score prints and get suggestions on what can be done to improve your skills and business by participating in Print Competition. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, receive information and tips on how to create Exhibition quality images and get the inside track on how to earn Merits towards the prestigious PPA Master of Photography degree.

If you are timid about print competition and showing your work then you will value these private, one-on-one, confidential and private meetings with some of the most accomplished, understanding and sharing photographers in the industry.

The private consultation booths will be located near the International Print Exhibit just outside the Imaging Expo Hall at Imaging USA. Jurors will be available on Sunday, January 22 from 11am-4pm, Monday, January 23 from 11am-4pm and Tuesday, January 24 from 11am-2pm. To reserve a time for your review contact PEC administrator, Jim Dingwell JDingwell@ppa.com.

Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2005 — The Chilcote Company announced today that it has made a contribution of $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity in Houston, Texas in support of its efforts to provide relief for displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina. The announcement was made as part of Chilcote’s annual employee-owner recognition day which also kicked-off its 100 Year Anniversary by launching a new logo and tagline – Celebrating Our First Hundred Years – and a 15-month long series of company recognitions, participations and events.

World Press Photo is now accepting entries to the 2006 World Press Photo
Contest. The deadline for entries is 12th January 2006. Entry forms and guidelines can be found on the web at http://worldpressphoto.nl/

World Press Photo aims to support professional
press photography on a wide international scale. Promotional activities
include an annual contest, exhibitions, the stimulation of
photojournalism through educational programs, and creating greater
visibility for press photography through a variety of publications.

In the middle of last year, PPA notified its
members about scam artists who were targeting photographers as part of a
"funds forwarding" scheme. While this activity slowed down for a
period of time, in the last several weeks we have seen a significant spike in
the number of incidents reported to us.

Here is how the scam works: the photographer is contacted by e-mail from someone out of the country
asking for pricing information for a wedding or other event. Once the photographer
sets a price for coverage, the con artist offers to retain the photographer’s
services - and sends a check for an amount well above the cost of the wedding
coverage. The con artist then requests that the photographer forward the
overage of the funds via wire transfer to the minister conducting the ceremony,
who is also in another country. For example, if the photography fee is $1,000,
the con artist sends a check for $5,000 and asks that $4,000 be forwarded.

The check, of course, will
bounce - but the victim will not receive that notification for up to 14 days.
In the meantime, the con artist has pocketed $4,000 that was wired to them and
disappeared.

This latest generation of scam e-mails also
features some details that make them slightly more difficult to detect, such as
improved grammar and spelling. In addition, many of the e-mails are now
promising to make payment by credit card or money order, and then switching to
offering payment by check after the photographer responds.

The Susan A. Hudson Scholarship, sponsored by Fuji Photo Film USA, will provide aspiring photographers the opportunity to attend one of the PPA Education System's 25 Affiliate Schools. Each year as many as four (4) $500 scholarships will be awarded to selected photographers who have submitted applications and met the requirements of this scholarship.

Susan A. Hudson was passionate about sharing her knowledge of business to thousands of photographers around the world through seminars and regional photography schools. Professional Photographers of America is honored to join Fuji Photo Film USA in remembering the passion and spirit of Susan A. Hudson by assisting in awarding these scholarships. Download the application from PPA.com. Deadline to enter is December 10, 2005.

Imaging USA : 400+ Booth Expo January 22-24, 2006 in Austin, Texas At the heart of Imaging USA is our Imaging Expo, a 400+ booth trade show featuring hundreds of the latest products and services for professional photographers. The Expo is open each day of Imaging USA, and we have scheduled "expo-only" time so you can browse the show floor and not miss any of the educational programs. Check out the interactive floorplan and exhibitor list and visit ImagingUSA.org for a complete schedule of programs and information.

Order your “Spirit of New Orleans” 2006 calendar today! This calendar, produced by Marathon Press was designed with New Orleans images donated by Cindy Baxter and Karen Anderson, of New Martinsville, West Virginia All proceeds go directly to PPA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is assisting members of Professional Photographers of America who have been affected by hurricane Katrina. Only $19.95 each, with bulk pricing available, they are a great way to help your fellow photographers. Orders placed now will be shipped on December 12, in plenty of time for the holidays. Get them for friends and family, and don't forget to order one for you home and another for your studio!http://www.marathonpress.com/page.php/mpi/spirit_of_new_orleans

The first all-in-one post production tool that provides everything
photographers need after the shoot, Aperture offers an advanced and
incredibly fast RAW workflow that makes working with a camera’s RAW
images as easy as JPEG. Built from the ground up for pros, Aperture
features powerful compare and select tools, nondestructive image
processing, color managed printing and custom web and book publishing.